Sharks join Twitter to warn you when they’re within striking distance

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A few times a year, usually during summer months, you can catch a quick segment on local news stations that display overhead shots of popular beach spots. The shots tend to feature clear water and happy swimmers, but then slightly pan out to reveal a school of sharks just a handful of feet away. Those happy swimmers aren’t the bravest people you’ve ever seen on local news, they’re usually just unaware of the mass of sharks lurking just a few feet away. Thanks to modern technology and our obsession with our mobile devices, though, it’ll be a little easier to avoid jumping in the cold abyss without knowing sharks are loitering within striking distance. Sharks have joined Twitter.

Scientists have attached transmitters to over 320 sharks that, when traveling within proximity of unaware swimmers, will tweet a warning. The tweeting distance is about one kilometer from the beach, or around 0.6 miles. The sharks aren’t swimming around with little phones that have Twitter apps installed, but instead the transmitters send a signal to a computer, which immediately turn it into a tweet. The warning is posted to Surf Life Saving Western Australia’s Twitter feed.

The warning tweet details breed, size, and location of the shark, so you know exactly where not to go, and just how terrified you should be.

Of course, sending out a tweet when you’re off playing around in the ocean isn’t entirely helpful, as you’re unlikely to have your phone with you. However, checking the feed before you hop into the water is obviously safer than going in blind. Using the platform of social media is a clever choice, as we’re more likely to be checking Twitter or Facebook than something else. This is a safer method than not having any warning at all, so hopefully this kind of warning system can be implemented on other popular beaches around the world. Until then, remember that any time you step into the water, you’re almost certainly going to be eaten by a bunch of sharks in a gruesome and graphic manner.